Europe and Schengen Visa Support from Saudi Arabia

Short stay and long stay are two different systems

Short stay: the Schengen visa

The Schengen Area is a group of European states that have removed internal border controls. A Schengen short-stay visa, sometimes called a Type C visa, allows visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole area. It is for tourism, family visits, business meetings and conferences. It does not permit work or long-term study.

Long stay: the national visa

If you intend to stay longer than 90 days, or to work or study, you need a national long-stay visa, often called a Type D visa, issued by the specific country you are going to. It is governed by that country's own law, not by Schengen rules.

There is no such thing as a “Schengen work visa”. If someone offers you one, they do not understand the system.

Which embassy do you apply to?

For a short-stay Schengen visa, you generally apply to the country that is your main destination: where you will spend the most time. If your time is split evenly, you apply to the country of first entry.

This matters because appointment availability, document requirements and processing times differ considerably between missions serving Saudi Arabia. Choosing the wrong one usually means starting again.

Ireland is not in the Schengen Area

A Schengen visa does not admit you to Ireland. Ireland operates its own visa system and its own employment permit system, administered separately.

Routes we cover

Schengen short-stay visa (Type C)

Tourism, family visits, business travel and conferences, up to 90 days in any 180

National long-stay visa (Type D)

Longer stays, work or study in a specific European country

Study routes in Europe

Guidance on national student permits

Route and What it is for

What Peregrine helps with

• Determining whether you need a short-stay or long-stay application
• Identifying the correct country to apply to, and the correct visa application centre
• Preparing financial evidence, travel insurance and itinerary documentation in the required format
• Preparing invitation and employer letters
• Calculating your 90/180 position accurately
• Attestation and translation of supporting documents
• Application review before submission
• Refusal review

What you need to provide

• Passport with the validity the mission requires
• Saudi residence permit (Iqama) with sufficient validity
• Employment and salary evidence from Saudi Arabia
• Financial evidence covering the trip
• Confirmed travel and accommodation details
• Travel medical insurance meeting the minimum coverage required
• Invitation letters where applicable
• Full history of previous Schengen visas and any refusals

Common mistakes

• Applying to the wrong country's mission
• Insurance that does not meet the minimum coverage requirement
• Miscounting the 90/180 position, especially after several short trips
• Booking non-refundable travel before a decision
• Assuming a Schengen visa allows work or long-term study
• Assuming Ireland is covered

Official sources

We check this page against the authorities below. Where you are making a decision, read the authority itself rather than any summary of it, including ours.

• European Commission: visa policy
• The embassy or consulate of your main destination country
• The visa application centre serving Saudi Arabia for that country